Chance Encounter
by Erik'sangel527
Summary: One-shot. Erik's beloved is missing and there is only one way to find her. In the process of finding her, he happens to meet a very unique person. Modern day, potential E/C


**Chance Encounter**

_No.. No, no, no! _Erik ran his fingers through his hair worriedly while pacing his foyer. "She's gone! This cannot be.." The most precious part of his life was nowhere to be found. And worse than anything, he knew what had happened to make her disappear.

It had been rather stuffy in his house, so Erik had merely opened a kitchen window to cool the room. Who would have thought his love would escape?

Now he was to go looking for her? It was something he dreaded, for people would see him. They would stare.. He shuddered at the thought. But this was important. No, this was imperative. He would just have to face the world and its cruelties.

_My beloved Ayesha, I will find you._

* * *

Christine glanced down at her watch and inwardly cursed. She was going to be late… again. How hard was it to make to a 3:00 pm Music Theory class? Apparently, for her it was impossible.

It wasn't all her fault today, though. Today, something out of the ordinary had occurred. Everything had started out normal enough. Christine and her father had eaten breakfast and talked. Then, he'd left for work. She had watched the morning news for a while before going outside to check the mail. That was when her normal day took a turn.

Usually, everything was quiet and peaceful on their property. After all, Christine and her father lived on a very secluded five-acre lot. They didn't have neighbors.

So it was odd, to say the least, when Christine saw a beautiful calico cat strolling up her driveway. She stared from a distance before approaching the cat slowly, so as not to scare it, but she quickly realized that it wasn't scared at all. In fact, the feline proceeded to close the distance between them and rub its body against Christine's leg, purring all the while.

Christine knelt down to pet the cat with a furrowed brow. It most definitely wasn't a stray, that was for sure. She'd never seen such a beautiful animal, and it was friendly, too. "Where'd you come from, kitty?" That was when she noticed a collar. "Bingo," she said with a smile.

_Ayesha_

The name was unique. It almost sounded like royalty! "Someone must really be missing you," Christine whispered while still stroking the cat's fur. It was so odd. Cats usually stayed near their homes, right? Why hadn't this one? "Well, come on, I guess." She gently picked up Ayesha and carried her inside.

The cat couldn't very well wander through the house, so Christine placed it in the laundry room, closed the door, and walked to the kitchen while thinking. It was very likely that Ayesha's owner was looking for her at that very moment.

Of course, the owner would never find her while she was locked in a laundry room. Christine needed to do something… It didn't take long for her to think of what to do. _Flyers! _She would take a picture of the cat, write a description, and make plenty of copies to post around town. The owner would surely see a flyer and call her. Then, they could meet, and Christine could give him or her Ayesha. "Problem solved."

And that was the reason she was running late. Making the copies had taken longer than expected. But really, it was worth it. To make sure the cat was returned to its proper owner was worth being fifteen minutes late to class. Her plan was to post the flyers after class and hope for a phone call.

* * *

Erik drove around town looking frantically for his beloved pet. It was getting late, and he still had yet to find her. The next step would be to get out of the car and begin searching on foot. Oh, how he loathed the thought, but as was decided earlier, this was imperative.

Continuing to drive slowly and looking all around, Erik began to notice something peculiar. Attached to every light post he could see was a white piece of paper. He couldn't see what was on the paper, but it was obviously some sort of advertisement. Shrugging, he refused to be distracted any longer and returned to his mission.

_Library.. _That was where he would park his car to begin his search. After parking, Erik pulled the hood of his jacket over his head making sure to situate it as far down as he could to hide as much of the mask as possible. Then, he got out of the car and began walking and looking.

About an hour passed. Nothing. There was absolutely no sign of his beloved. He wouldn't give up, though. Nor would he make eye contact with the passersby who were staring at him. Also, he wouldn't be distracted by silly nonsense, such as the activities going on around him. He was in the busiest part of town, and there were plenty of people taking part in various things.

That was when it happened. The white pieces of paper he had seen earlier finally caught his attention. How he had overlooked them until now was odd, especially since they were stapled to every light post. Erik's eyes widened as he stared directly at a picture of Ayesha in the middle of the page. He read the description below, which confirmed his hopes. It _was_ Ayesha! She was in the possession of a female named Christine. It was a miracle!

Erik immediately obtained his cell phone from his jacket pocket, not even acknowledging the fact that this would be the first time he'd spoken to a human in months. The only thing on his mind was getting his cat back from this female. He dialed the number frantically and put the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Her voice came through calmly and clearly.

"Is Christine available?" Erik asked with unmistakable hope in his tone.

"This is she."

"Excellent. I have come across the flyers you posted around town. My name is Erik, and I am Ayesha's owner."

"Oh! That's great! I have her, and don't worry, she's perfectly safe."

Erik felt relief spread through his body. It was rare for him to worry, but this was definitely an exception. "Thank you," he said, breathing a sigh of relief. Just as it was rare for him to worry, it was also rare for him to thank anyone. But this girl was a hero. She deserved a reward of some kind.

"It's no problem. Would you like to meet somewhere in town? Maybe the library?"

It was as if she was psychic, which Erik wouldn't doubt was possible. After all, she was a hero. "That sounds perfect. I will walk that way right now."

"Great. I'll be there soon."

They said their goodbyes and ended the call. Five minutes later, Erik was standing in the library parking lot waiting with forced patience. And ten minutes later, a blue Honda Accord pulled into the parking lot and parked right next to his car. He watched as a petite curly-haired brunette emerged from the vehicle and moved to the passenger's side to carefully remove a pet carrier.

The only thing on Erik's mind was Ayesha, and he moved towards the girl with anticipation in his step. "Hello," he greeted once he was close enough.

She smiled openly at him, which was shocking. She wasn't noticeably taken aback by his mask at all.

Erik could hardly believe it, although it was of little importance at the current time.

"You must be Erik," she greeted with a friendly air. "I'd be polite and shake your hand, but, well, my hands are a bit full."

Automatically, Erik took the pet carrier from her. "Thank you," he couldn't help but say for the third time since the beginning of their phone conversation. Blinking, he turned his attention to his beloved who was seated attentively in the cage. When his eyes met hers, she meowed and nudged her head against the door. Erik didn't speak as he stared with an adoring expression. "Words cannot express what this means to me."

The girl named Christine shook her head. "It was really no problem. I'm just glad you saw the flyers. I must say, you have a beautiful cat. And she's so well behaved. I've never seen a cat like her."

"Yes, she is unique." His mind couldn't help but whisper, _this girl is unique, as well. _"I will never be able to thank you enough." After a pause, he said, "Wait a moment. I am going to put Ayesha in the car. I have something to give you."

She seemed startled. "Oh, you don't have to give me anything. Really, it wasn't an inconvenience at all. Sure, I was a little late to my music theory class, but it wasn't a big deal."

Christine was musically inclined! This was truly an incredible day. He couldn't help but chuckle. "I will be right back." Quickly, he placed his beloved in the passenger's seat and returned to Christine. Without a word, he reached into his pocket and removed his wallet. Then, he calmly removed two hundred dollar bills. "Here you are. This is a reward for your kindness." _Towards my cat and towards me. _

Her eyes widened dramatically as she realized the amount of money she was holding. "B-but this is two hundred dollars. I can't take this."

"Nonsense. This is the least I can do. Really, my feline means more to me than anything else. Believe me when I say you deserve every penny." Without giving her time to protest, he changed subjects. "Now, I couldn't help but notice your statement that you are taking a music theory class. That is quite interesting, as I myself share a love for music."

She couldn't let the previous subject go. "I really can't take this much money from you, Erik. It's too much."

Erik chuckled again. It was the most he'd laughed in quite some time, and that was something he couldn't overlook. "You are a good person, aren't you? I do not know how to convince you that this is well deserved. All I can do is repeat my previous words. This is the least I can do."

Christine stared into his eyes for a long moment before surrendering. "Ok, I guess I will accept it. I really owe you, though."

He shook his head. "No, you don't."

Something about his words made her blush. "Yes, well, you're right. I am into music. I'm so glad to find someone else who likes it too. I'm a singer. A sophomore in college, actually."

Erik was entranced by each new fact. "That's coincidental. I, too, am a singer. I'm a tenor."

"I'm a soprano." They smiled at each other.

One thought entered his mind. _Ayesha is waiting for me in my car. _"Well, I should probably take Ayesha home." This was all so unusual. He didn't want to leave.

Christine nodded. "Yeah, I could tell she missed you a lot. It was really good to meet you."

"It was a pleasure to meet you, as well. Take care, Christine."

"You too." She held out her hand. "We can shake hands now," she said with a grin.

Erik reached out and shook her hand. He'd never shaken another person's hand before. "Thank you again."

"You're welcome."

It was very hard to say goodbye. "Goodbye, Christine."

"Bye, Erik."

They walked to their respective cars and parted ways. While driving, Erik couldn't help but think about her. The girl couldn't leave his thoughts. She was unique, remarkable really, and he could not bare the thought of never seeing her again.

That's when it came to him. _Her phone number is now stored in my cell phone. _It was almost unthinkable. To call her, to actually initiate another encounter would be completely unlike him. But he couldn't help it. He desperately wanted to see her again.

And so it was decided. He would call her tomorrow. In the meantime, he would give his full attention to his beloved. "My dear Ayesha, perhaps it was a good thing you ran away today, for it is because of you that I was able to meet _her_."

* * *

Christine couldn't stop thinking about it, about _him_. The man had just been so.. suave. That was the only word she could think of to describe him. He'd been so gracious and kind. Of course she'd noticed the mask, but Christine had never been one to judge another by their appearance. Erik was a good example of why she wasn't judgmental, too.

Above all, she couldn't deny that she really wanted to see him again. _His number is stored in my cell phone._

It was unlike her to be so forward, but perhaps she would give him a call tomorrow.


End file.
